Achieving Optimal Post-Exercise Muscle Protein Remodeling in Physically Active Adults through Whole Food Consumption.

Stephan van Vliet,Sarah Skinner,Joseph Beals,Nicholas Burd,Isabel Martinez

doi:10.3390/nu10020224

Abstract

Dietary protein ingestion is critical to maintaining the quality and quantity of skeletal muscle mass throughout adult life. The performance of acute exercise enhances muscle protein remodeling by stimulating protein synthesis rates for several hours after each bout, which can be optimized by consuming protein during the post-exercise recovery period. To date, the majority of the evidence regarding protein intake to optimize post-exercise muscle protein synthesis rates is limited to isolated protein sources. However, it is more common to ingest whole food sources of protein within a normal eating pattern. Emerging evidence demonstrates a promising role for the ingestion of whole foods as an effective nutritional strategy to support muscle protein remodeling and recovery after exercise. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of the ingestion of nutrient-rich and protein-dense whole foods to support post-exercise muscle protein remodeling and recovery with pertinence towards physically active people.

Highlights

Exercise is a potent stimulus that, when performed regularly, results in dramatic phenotypic changes to more effectively support exercise performance
Given the current research gap for protein nutrition for contact sport, middle-distance, or endurance exercise, much of our discussion is based on resistance exercise studies
body weight (BW)−1 per meal [14,24,31] is ingested to optimally stimulate post-exercise muscle protein synthesis rates

Summary

Introduction

Exercise is a potent stimulus that, when performed regularly, results in dramatic phenotypic changes to more effectively support exercise performance. While exercise alone is a potent protein remodeling stimulus by increasing muscle protein synthesis rates [6,9], food ingestion throughout post-exercise recovery is necessary to optimize the skeletal muscle adaptive response. Our review aims to discuss the effectiveness of nutrient-rich and protein-dense food ingestion to achieve protein requirements and support post-exercise muscle protein remodeling and repair for physically active individuals. Given the current research gap for protein nutrition for contact sport, middle-distance, or endurance exercise, much of our discussion is based on resistance exercise studies This is a recognized shortcoming as sport- and exercise-mode specific protein recommendations may be required to maximize the immediate post-exercise muscle protein remodeling response [20,21]

Protein Recommendations for Physically Active Adults

Isolated Protein Sources and Post-Exercise Muscle Protein Remodeling

Whole Food Ingestion and Post-Exercise Muscle Protein Remodeling

Conclusions